


Redemption AU

by CringePhase



Category: Sonic the Hedgehog (IDW Comics), Sonic the Hedgehog - All Media Types
Genre: Amnesia, Author has no plan, Canon Mute Character, Father-Son Relationship, Gen, Mr Tinker sees Metal once and decides to be a father, Parenthood, moreso a concept pitch than a complete fic tbh, redemption arc
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-06
Updated: 2020-05-04
Packaged: 2021-03-01 23:40:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 9,054
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23505505
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CringePhase/pseuds/CringePhase
Summary: Takes off from IDW Sonic #12; where Mr. Tinker doesn’t revert back to Dr. Eggman. As a new person, Tinker takes the subject of redemption into his own hands and attempts to adopt Metal along for the ride. Meanwhile Metal Sonic’s prime directive is to find Dr. Eggman hidden in Mr. Tinker’s psyche.Not as story-driven as it sounds it’s just me forcing character development and father-son bonding between an amnesiac and his robot because I thought Mr. Tinker could’ve been a great character if he had been left alone long enough.
Relationships: Metal Sonic & Dr. Eggman, Metal Sonic & Mr. Tinker, Metal Sonic & Sonic the Hedgehog
Comments: 22
Kudos: 109





	1. Chapter 1

“I don’t understand!” A voice carried down the hallway as a loosely-identified “creature” limped to the source. “Three sessions later and he hasn’t regained his old memories!”

The hedgehog-shaped robot couldn’t care less about the voice or whatever the voice cared about, identifying the source as Dr. Starline. While possible that the mobian doctor could assist in repairs, he simply wasn’t the doctor Metal Sonic’s directive was looking for. Besides, Metal has already been “repaired” by a lower life form against his will—he needed a real genius to insure his internal functions.

_“You can be your own person...robot, whatever…”_

No, the Mobian will not do. Metal Sonic must show them all why they are weak, inferior to real power—real strength. He must find his Master.

“This has gotten old, Doc!” A rougher, new voice not yet registered in his databases. Metal felt unamused on the concept of new faces at this time.

His left hip joint stalled for a moment and he didn’t hesitate to force the movement demand through, ignoring both the grating sensation that caused him immense discomfort and the loud scraping sound it made.

The voices stopped, startled by the noise. Time to make an entrance. His strange discomfort did not stall him as he stepped into the light.

“Oh you poor thing!!” An important voice exclaimed dramatically.

_Identified: Dr. Ivo “The Eggman” Robotnik I, Future Ruler and Current Smartest Man Alive_

The self-proclaimed “Smartest Man Alive” placed a protective hand on his head, a familiar and acceptable weight. His optics closed as his notifications updated.

_Master located. Task complete._

“Hold still! I’ll have you repaired in no time!” The inventor soothed.

Something was incorrect. Metal Sonic peered back up at his Master, choosing to ignore the questionable attire and instead running his identification program again.

_Identified: Dr. Ivo “The Eggman” Robotnik I, Future Ruler and Current Smartest Man Alive_

This was, without a doubt, his Master. But the human’s face showed no signs of recognition. No signs of irritation, of anger, nor the most important emotion: vengeance. Instead of any of these essential displays, he kept petting Metal’s cold head and giving him a reassuring smile.

“I’m Mr. Tinker. H-Has anyone told you that you kind of look like Sonic the Hedgehog?”

Metal Sonic fixed his glare at 100% brightness on the unimportant loitering Mobians in record time, the violent jerk of his head startling the genius next to him. Said Mobians flinched back, but that was not enough to satisfy Metal’s anger. He began queuing all the ways he would get information out of Dr. Starline as he began his beeline to the panicking platypus.

His left hip joint stalled again, and before he could disregard the problem his left knee disconnected from his mobile commands, sending his weight towards the floor.

“Ah, C-Careful!!” Familiar arms caught him before he could clash to the ground. Metal Sonic did not take his glare off of his prey as the stranger wearing his Master’s body continued, “You’re in bad shape, who let you get so damaged?? There’s vegetation in your joints—did you walk all the way here?”

Metal Sonic didn’t give any kind of response, not even a beep. Mr. Tinker began leading him to the table anyway, wincing sympathetically with every scrape his useless joints made.

“You poor thing, you can’t be comfortable like this, are you in pain?”

As Not Happy Metal Sonic was with his Master’s strange behavior, getting repairs was essential to his queue of intimidation and violence, so he ripped his glare from the Mobians and fixed it on the table. For some reason, Mr. Tinker took this as a response.

“I’ll get your legs fixed immediately,” the human helped Metal lay on the table. “Ah, uh, Y-Yellow Square One?”

A brief silence before Orbot whispered “I think he means _you_.” to his square partner. Cubot rushed to his Master’s side, wary of any signs of the old Eggman, “Cubot ready to serve, Boss!”

“Ah, what a cute name! Did you happen to see where I put the oil pump? Our friend’s joints here look neglected.” Mr. Tinker glanced around the work area as he started pulling out the vegetation from the robot’s knee.

Metal, remaining laid down, grabbed the closest loosely-assumed intelligent being--Cubot--by the chassis and lifted him to Metal’s eye level, emitting a dangerous-sounding robotic warble.

“H-He is Dr. Eggman! He lost his memory and thinks he’s someone else, but the identification systems—“ Metal dropped Cubot onto the floor, already knowing about the identification systems they share.

Dr. Starline sighed in disappointment, having hoped that Dr. Eggman’s mind would return as he worked in his old spaces with his old robots. Orbot watched as “Mr. Tinker” fretted at Cubot on the ground, where Cubot ended up finding the small pump for oil.

“I do believe our old boss is more gone than we thought.” Orbot lamented.

“No, he can’t just be….Gone!” Dr. Starline replied, “He’s _right there_! The brilliant Dr. Eggman is still in there—his robotics and engineering are proof of this!”

“Metal Sonic is Dr. Eggman’s greatest, and one of his oldest standing, achievements. If anyone was going to restore Dr. Eggman, it would be Metal Sonic—but the Boss doesn’t even recognize him.” Orbot explained.

Mr. Tinker paused in his work to look at the robot he was repairing. He had been tuning out his kidnappers as he worked, getting in “the zone” and all, but a familiar name tuned him back in. “Metal Sonic?” said robot looked back at him obediently. “Is that your name?”

Metal Sonic was silent. Cubot spoke up instead, “Yeah, you made him before even me and Orbot, remember?”

“I’m s-sorry but I keep telling you I’m not who you think I am.” Mr. Tinker’s anxiety was obvious under his glasses and mustache, but his hands were still careful as he repaired Metal’s legs. “You have the wrong guy—it’s happened before, s-so I’m not upset, but I’d hate for you all to waste your time with me.”

“B-But Boss, if you weren’t the Boss, then how are you fixing Metal Sonic?” Cubot asked, preparing to hide in case either Eggman or Metal Sonic lashed out.

“That’s….a good point. You’re not even looking where you are working, and Metal Sonic is not an average badnik.” Orbot agreed as Mr. Tinker startled, realizing his hands were, in fact, moving on his own without needing to look. “The only other person who could confidently repair Metal Sonic is Tails.”

At that, Metal Sonic gave a metallic sound that sounded like a growl, prompting both Orbot and Cubot to hold their hands up in a fearful manner. Dr. Starline pondered for a moment, a scheme beginning to form, when an alarm began to blare accompanied by red flashing lights.

“What’s goin’ on???” Tumble barked, holding his ears.

Dr. Starline ran to the large computer while Mr. Tinker began to cower under the table, prompting Metal to stand and test his leg repairs before he could access the issue. The computer lit up with the camera feed, showing said issue.

“Sonic the Hedgehog! He’s here!” Starline exclaimed as he watched the blue blur smash through their defenses.

“Sonic’s here??” Mr. Tinker perked up from his hiding spot, moving to instead duck his entire body behind Metal Sonic and peek over his head. “Oh, that all looks so dangerous…”

Dr. Starline for once ignored his idol’s comments, turning to Rough and Tumble. “There’s not much time, that pest is going to be here!!”

Rough and Tumble both flexed and posed intimidatingly, smirking yet looking a little nervous. “We’re wanting a rematch, w-weapons or no weapons!”

“Metal Sonic,” Dr. Starline turned to Mr. Tinker’s current cover. “You can run, yes? You can still fight?”

Metal Sonic force quit the diagnostics from automatically running at the question, knowing he wouldn’t like the answer. Sometimes the math can be ignored. Before he could even take a step, his Master (former Master? No, that didn’t sit right) restrained him from his hiding spot behind him.

“W-Wait! His energy levels are too low, he could get hurt again!” Metal hated the tone of concern on his amnesiac Master’s tongue, but he hated the facts they carried even more.

He wanted a rematch. He needed a proper rematch.

_Objectives:_

_-Repairs required: extensive_

_-Destroy Sonic the Hedgehog_

_-Insure the rise of the Eggman Empire_

None of this could be obtained at this moment, and he hated himself for having to accept that. His lesser copy was no doubt here to play hero, to keep Dr. Eggman from being reborn and freed from the mind of Mr. Tinker. Unfortunately for him, this is exactly what Metal needed to happen in order to fulfill his other tasks.

_New Primary Objective:_

_-Reform Dr. Ivo “The Eggma—_

_….overwriting Admin username..._

_Primary Objective:_

_-Reform Dr. Eggman_

A distant explosion of a badnik and a gust of wind signaled their planning time was over.

“Y’know I was just starting to chill for once, I should’ve known something was gonna start up.” Sonic quipped boredly, a hand on his hip and a frown like he had just run into them at the grocery store.

“He’s here! Attack!” The platypus commanded, generating a portal behind the blue hedgehog.

Sonic immediately jumped and bounced off the heads of Rough and Tumble as they roughly tumbled through the portal, ricocheting them back through the portal and into Starline. It was always boring when he caught baddies off-guard, but he was here for a mission. Sonic then used the momentum to spin dash towards his copy and the human cowering behind it.

“Mr. Tinker….that you…?” He asked nervously, wondering if he had been too late.

“Sonic, I’m so glad to see you! I’ve been kidnapped!” Mr Tinker exclaimed and stood, letting go of his sentient shield.

_Sonic the Hedgehog, too late?_ Sonic chuckled. _Nice one._

“Yeah, I figured. Don’t worry about it, just c’mon.” Sonic reached for Mr. Tinker’s arm while Starline, Rough, and Tumble were stunned. He couldn’t risk having neither Mr. Tinker nor the return of Dr. Eggman in the middle of a fight.

A familiar metal hand grabbed Sonic’s arm, its owner glaring up at him with max brightness. Sonic returned his gaze with an unamused one.

“Metal, long time no see. Can’t say I’m surprised, just a little disappointed.” Sonic glared back, “Just thought you were capable of generating your own opinions and thoughts. My bad.”

Metal tightened his hold on his enemy, his combat generation application taking a moment to note all of the ways Metal was at a disadvantage. As Metal planned a way to turn those numbers around, Sonic smirked and flipped the restrained arm up and over his head, effectively using Metal’s inhuman grip against him and slamming him into the ground.

Sonic ignored the way Mr. Tinker flinched at the sound and grabbed his arm, beginning to run. The human stumbled behind him, struggling to match even Sonic’s lowest speed at the moment.

“W-Wait!” Mr. Tinker yelled as they ran out of the room, looking back at the scene.

“No time!” Sonic yelled back before raising his wrist communicator to his face. “Tails, you landed yet? I got the Do-erm, Mr. Tinker!”

The communicator immediately answered back in Tails’ voice, “Landed on the south side, keeping badniks at bay!”

Sonic nodded and glanced back at Mr. Tinker, “That means we should probably hurry—try not to trip, I’ll handle the speed!”

“What does that even mea—waitwaITWAIT!”

  
  
  


Metal quickly shook off his daze and recalibrated in time to see his mortal enemy and his amnesiac Master disappear from view. He took a quick glance at the computer screen and noted a disgustingly bright airplane on the south side of the base, and Sonic heading towards it. Metal’s turbine immediately started up and he ignored the frantic questioning coming from the pile of useless Mobians as he took off, not as quickly as he usually could but enough to follow the hedgehog from a distance.

He sent a single message to the computer labeled “Evil Lair 1” that simply read: _Reform Dr. Eggman labeled as Primary Objective. Do not follow me._

* * *

Mr. Tinker has, admittedly, not had many days in his memory beyond building things for his village. He is no stranger to odd days—the day he awoke with no memory in a jail cell is a notable day, as is the day he met Sonic and was protected by him from an incredibly angry goth stranger. Today though, somehow takes the cake from both of those days on the “weirdest days ever” list. He can only imagine how his diary entry was going to look in the future.

_Dear Diary,_

_Today I was kidnapped from my village by ruffians mistaking me as some sort of bad egg, experimented on by a platypus with admittedly good hair, offered violence against adorable robots with feelings (those poor souls!), met a blue robot hedgehog with the same name as the organic blue hedgehog I know, was rescued by Sonic and boarded his young aviator friend’s small plane as he decided to ride on the wings instead._

“A-Are you sure it’s safe up there???” Mr. Tinker fretted one more time to the young fox as the plane flew farther and farther away from where he was held prisoner.

“Don’t worry about Sonic, he does this all the time!” Tails responded cheerfully before mumbling, “Trust me, you’re not gonna get him down from there…”

So Mr. Tinker decided maybe he should let the heroes do the hero work and he can sit still and be grateful like the civilian he is. His efforts were rewarded when they landed in what he now refers to as his hometown village, his fellow civilians waving and cheering at the plane’s touchdown and the hero riding on the wings.

The villagers hugged and welcomed him, happy to see he was alright and Mr. Tinker made it his goal not to cry. These Mobians hadn’t known him for very long at all and here they were happy he returned. A much better change of pace than his kidnapper’s attitudes.

“That sounds like a good idea, Buddy, I agree.” Mr. Tinker turned to Sonic and Tails’ approach as they conversed with each other.

He had known those two for so very little time and even he could see the family between them, a guardian and child—or perhaps brothers. Mr. Tinker wondered if he had anything like that in his past life.

“Eh, why don’t you all go ahead?” Mr. Tinker told his fellow villagers, “I can tell you all what happened and the new ideas I have later, alright?”

He was once again told how happy they were to see him again and invited to various houses for dinner before the crowd dispersed.

“Hey, Mr. Tinker?” Tails greeted from behind him, and Mr. Tinker immediately turned to the remaining Mobians.

“Thank you so much for getting me out of there! I really cannot thank you enough—maybe I can build you something?? Oh I got so many new ideas from those odd characters, Eggmanland is about to improve, hohohoho!!”

For some reason, this caused Sonic and Tails to exchange an odd look. “Erm, what _kind_ of ideas?”

“Imagine it, a small rodeo bot shaped like a ladybug for the children! Oh, maybe some helper bee bots for the scavengers! Oh! Oh! Yes some extra hands around here would be perfect!” Mr. Tinker could feel the stars in his own eyes.

Sonic sighed in relief and quickly gave a thumbs up, “Sounds great, Tinker. I think everybody can benefit from some help every now and then. Tails can—“

A strange mechanical sound made the Mobians’ ears perk and all of their eyes looked to the sky. Sonic seemed to immediately recognize the rapidly approaching flying dot, if his sudden slouch and exasperated “Again???” was anything to go by.

Mr. Tinker, however, had to wait until the object was close enough to recognize, and even then he had a hard time following exactly HOW Metal Sonic could FLY??

_I suppose that’s what the turbine is for—if not for speed. Maybe both._

“How many times do you gotta learn this lesson, Metal?” Sonic asked boredly as Metal Sonic touched down a little ways away from them. “What do you want?”

Metal Sonic gave out an antagonistic-sounding warble and pointed at Mr. Tinker. The human felt quite popular today.

“Yeah, no, not gonna happen.” Sonic responded, used to Metal Sonic’s communication skills, as he took a stance to fight.

Metal wasted no time to mimic the stance, however the wind-rushing sound was still coming from his chest despite the smoking turbine being turned off when he landed.

Mr. Tinker startled and leaped around the Mobians, breaking the glares they and the robot were sending to each other. “Wait! Wait! H-He’s hurt—“

“Yeah, that’s good news for us.” Sonic said matter-of-factly as Metal emitted an offended beep.

“Ah, Metal Sonic, was it?” Mr. Tinker turned back to Metal, doing his best to look both unthreatening and unworthy of being harmed. “D-Did you follow us here?”

Metal Sonic paused before dropping his pose and nodding obediently.

“All the way from that….odd place?”

Another nod.

“Oh, no wonder your fans are running so loud! You must be exhausted!” Mr. Tinker began to approach the robot as his Mobian friends began tensing behind him. “.....Did those strange people make you work so hard?”

A shake of the head had both Sonic and Tails’s hands to their chins. Tinker kneeled down to Metal Sonic’s height and sat a soothing hand on his head, just like before. “Let me fix you up—you must be dead on your fee--er well, your system must be functioning on it’s last percentage!”

Metal Sonic turned on his HUD and was met with a large amount of error messages, but his battery was functioning regularly. He chose not to mention it at the moment, though—his Master will surely see when he investigates it himself.

“U-Um, Mr. Tinker that’s really not a good idea!!” Tails flew over to hover by the human’s shoulder. _Apparently everybody could fly._ “Metal Sonic is just as dangerous as he looks!”

Mr. Tinker sent a pleading look up to Tails, crowding closer to Metal who sent the fox his usual murderous glare. “His fans are struggling and he’s overheating! He’s in terrible shape and he followed us all the way here! How can I send away someone so in need of help?”

Tails struggled to keep his composure under the pleading and frankly childish pout of his brother’s former arch-nemesis. “Errrrr, Sonic?????”

Sonic walked to the group, taking his time for once, his eyes not leaving his robot counterpart. He paused to cross his arms and look between the human and the robot before addressing Metal.

“You followed us, in your state, all the way here, without attacking us?” Sonic asked.

Metal didn’t give an answer, Sonic decided he didn’t need to—their safe journey was the evidence.

“....And nobody told you to do that?”

Metal Sonic’s gaze did not waver, he remained motionless and soundless save for his fans still trying to cool him, and the smoke still emitting from the back of his turbine.

“I’m gonna need you to answer the question. You’re not exactly in a position to be difficult.” Sonic warned, giving him a bored look.

Metal would have lunged for his pathetic throat had his Master not been in between them. He settled for turning up the brightness of his glare back to 100%. 

_Calculating requirement for cooperation with: Sonic the Hedgehog…_

A moment passed, Sonic’s foot began tapping, and finally Metal gave a single nod.

“....You came here, on your own, without being ordered or otherwise programmed to pursue us.”

Another single nod.

Sonic looked impressed at this. Tails just looked nervous.

“.....why?” Sonic asked, an eyebrow arched.

Metal felt the rare and fleeting desire of his own facial reactions for the sole purpose of giving these Mobians a scathing sideways glance. As he was, he could only give them an awkwardly long glare before pointing to his Master.

_Dr. Eggman,_ his still-active HUD supplied.

“Mr. Tinker?” Sonic asked, narrowing his eyes in suspicion. 

Metal’s thought process stalled, still unused to his Master’s new name and identity.

_If Dr. Eggman currently identifies as: Mr. Tinker, then Mr. Tinker = Dr. Eggman in contexts such as this one._

_Confirm?_

_ <Yes> _

He nodded.

At this, Sonic uncrossed his arms and “Hmm”ed for a second, causing a cautious glance from his flying brother.

“Please stop thinking what you’re thinking.” Tails requested, his attention fully on Sonic.

“Alright Mr. Tinker, he can stay.”

“Sonic!!!”

“What? I stopped thinking, and started doing.” Sonic smirked.

Mr. Tinker gleefully, and gently, hugged Metal Sonic to celebrate. Metal simply let the offense that these Mobians actually thought they could’ve kept him away seep into him to use for later.

“Metal--Can I call you Metal?--why don’t you go ahead and rest at my humble abode? It’s straight from here, left at Eggmanland--it’s a cute little park for the kiddos--and I’ll be there after I’ve thanked our friends!”

Metal let out a growly beep at the last word, but recognized he was given a direct order from his Master and stomped towards where he was directed. Tails fretted for a moment before sighing in defeat.

“I don’t think he should be trusted at all, for the record, so I don’t think he should be alone. I’m keeping an eye on him--Sonic, it’s up to you to inform Mr. Tinker what he’s in for.”

Sonic nodded and thanked Tails’ trust in him as the fox departed--following the robot from a distance--and turned to the human, planning how he was going to explain Metal Sonic’s devotion and….quirks to an amnesiac.

“I know that I was Dr. Eggman.” Mr. Tinker immediately admitted.

“Wh-What??” _Was this a bad thing?? It was, right?_

“Th-that other doctor and the robots kept calling me that and telling me that I was undeniably the same person, but… I still don’t remember any of my old life.” Mr. Tinker fidgeted. “I don’t want to remember my old life, if all Dr. Eggman stood for was despair and evil!”

Sonic sighed, “We didn’t want you to figure it out, but I’m glad that knowing the truth only solidified who you are…. But I gotta ask, why do you want to keep your old evil minion around?”

Mr. Tinker startled, “Surely that’s not all Metal meant to him--erm, me? Those other robots made it sound like he was proud of him--he’s no doubt an incredible feat.” He sighed, “I can’t just turn my back on him, in a way I am responsible for him right?”

Sonic scratched his head. “Maybe? I mean, you’re not Eggman, you don’t want to be Eggman, why not just leave everything about him behind? No one would fault you for it…”

“But the person I used to be _created_ Metal--made him who he is. Without h--without _me_ , he would be stuck with those dreadful hooligans! ….I don’t want to be Eggman to him… I want to be Mr. Tinker to him.” Tinker looked in the direction the robot walked, towards the village. “I think he could thrive in a peaceful life if it was shown to him.”

Sonic sighed and crossed his arms, “Yeah, so did I… it was offered to him before and he didn’t take it.” He looked at the human over his shoulder. “I’ve met other former badniks who broke their code and stood for something worthwhile. For some reason, he’s attached to Eggman. Might be lack of options, might be strategic, he might just genuinely be a bad egg, I don’t know. But I think he’s having trouble separating you from your old life, which normally would be a problem but you might be able to use that to show him a better option.”

Mr. Tinker nodded, “I want to show the world that Mr. Tinker stands for kindness, maybe I can start with showing Metal that.”

Sonic smiled and nodded, for a moment forgetting to feel weird about agreeing with his former arch-nemesis. After all, Mr. Tinker wasn’t his arch-nemesis.

_Metal Sonic still sort of is, though._

Sonic immediately unclipped his communicator from his wrist and held it out to Mr. Tinker--Tails and him had already determined such a thing would be beneficial to keep Mr. Tinker out of bad guy hands, so he wasn’t worried about replacing it.

“I’m gonna level with you, T: My trust in Metal has backfired before. I’m gonna be checking in here and there, and I’m gonna need some ground rules for the Metalhead. Take this in case you need me to come running, for anything.” He shrugged and looked bored. “I guess I’m kind of in between jobs right now anyway. Wouldn’t mind swinging by to school Metal on the weekends.”

Mr. Tinker gratefully grabbed the hand holding the communicator and shaking it enthusiastically before taking the device. “It’s a deal, my friend! Come visit as much as you like--with Metal’s help I can improve Eggmanland tenfold and I will be eager to show you!”

“....Right.”

* * *

Sonic hovered his hand above the doorknob for Mr. Tinker’s hut, listening intently for any signs of a struggle inside. Somehow, he got more concerned when he heard nothing. No metallic sounds, no talking, so walking around, _nothing._ He took a breath before turning the knob, Mr. Tinker hovering excitedly behind him.

_Time to see if Metal rejected decent living again._

He opened the door to find the two inhabitants inside in the middle of a very intense staring contest, from opposite sides of the room. Metal stood as still as a statue in front of the air conditioning, which really wasn’t that weird for him, his high brightness glare fixated on the fox. From across the room, close to the door and his back to the wall, Tails also stood as still as he could and gave him his own semi-terrified glare back. You could cut the awkwardness and distrust with a knife.

“....This a bad time?” Sonic asked, jolting Tails back to awareness. Metal simply moved his eyes to the door, keeping his head straight at the fox.

“You’re back!” Tails smiled in relief and wasted no time jogging to the other’s side.

“Anything happen?”

“I mean, he beeped at me when I got too close but other than that… N-No, he didn’t do anything. Like, anything at all. It creeps me out.”

“That’s good, though, right?”

“I...I don’t know.”

Mr. Tinker walked around them and beelined to his new companion.

“My home isn’t as fancy as that laboratory you’re probably used to, but I can still fix you up into a more comfortable shape!”

“While _Mr. Tinker_ gets started,” Sonic emphasized the new name, stalking over to Metal Sonic. “We’re going to have to lay down some ground rules.”

Metal simply glared and calculated the odds of successfully snapping the other’s neck—unfortunately it was too low to execute. 

“First, I will be in touch—if anything about you or Tinker seems off to me, I’m putting an end to it. If any of the villagers contact me about anything you’ve done, it’s Game Over. Second chances don’t come easy, Metalhead—third chances even less so.”

Metal let his silence and lack of acknowledgement speak for him. Somehow, Sonic got the message.

“Second, Tails is gonna give you a tracker—I know you have one, Buddy can Metal have it?—and you’re not going to mess with it.” Sonic caught the device thrown to him by Tails and swiftly attached it to Metal’s wrist, locking it in place. “And we’ll know if you mess with it.

“Next, it would probably be best if you stayed in the village—I don’t think other places are gonna take you guys’ appearances easy, y’know?”

Mr. Tinker nodded, “Yes I believe that’s for the best too—maybe we can work our way up to traveling, hm?”

Sonic shrugged, “Also, Mr. Tinker… I got no problems with you repairing Metal, but can you only repair the things necessary for his everyday life?” Sonic ignored the furious glare sent by Metal. “I’m still not stupid, I don’t trust him with his tricks around you and the villagers.”

Mr. Tinker smiled sadly but nodded in understanding. He pat Metal’s head, unknowingly stopping him from generating hostile actions. “Something else we can work up to. I can agree to these conditions…”

The three of them turned to Metal, who immediately turned to face away from them, feigning uninterest but made no move to attack or run away.

“I’ll take that as a ‘Sure’. Y’know, if he didn’t already have a robot best friend fueled by rage, you and Shadow might get along.” He shrugged and turned away to leave.

“I still don’t trust this…” Tails admitted, watching the human take note of Metal’s turbine first, as it was still smoking. “Do you really think it’s safe to give Mr. Tinker Eggman’s old robot?”

“Maybe not,” Sonic admitted cooly, “but I’m hoping it’s worth it to give Metal a new Leader or whatever.”

Tails hummed nervously, but understood what Sonic was saying. What Sonic saw in the robot, Tails couldn’t, but he wasn’t going to let that take away his faith in the Hedgehog. Unbeknownst to him, what Sonic saw in the robot was simple and exactly what everyone else saw in the robot.

Cliche as it was, Sonic saw himself.

So they bid the duo farewell and walked back to the plane, thinking ahead to the future they have set in motion with their decisions today and hoped for the best.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Metal makes plans for his primary objective.
> 
> Tinker makes plans for the future.
> 
> Sonic tries to enjoy a nice break for once.

The concept of meeting was as clear to Metal Sonic as the concept of greeting—these so-called “meet and greet”s as Mr Tinker has been calling it only dampened Metal’s mood even more. Why bother meeting with individuals so under his level? Why acknowledge the lives he could take in a moment's notice?

Tinker on the other hand appeared equal parts ecstaticed and nervous to introduce the robot to the villagers—he had shined Metal after repairing as much as “was necessary” (Metal added another minute to his plan of giving Sonic the Hedgehog the longest possible death), and now he was pacing around in his bedroom looking for some kind of tactical leverage on “making a good impression”.

Metal took the moment to open his HUD and make a list of exploits to destroy “Mr Tinker” and restore his Master to his best possible potential. Instead he was greeted with an envelope icon and a numerical 1 next to it. He double checked that the human was busy before opening it, for a moment forgetting that organics could not hack into his HUD through their heads.

_ New Messages: 1 _

_ Evil Lair 1: Metal Sonic, this is Doctor Starline. It appears we are already on the same page, so I will make this brief. You will bring the great Doctor Eggman back to his senses—in the meantime I will assume ringleader of the Empire in his absence and keep things running here in addition to creating a backup plan should you fail. I’ve heard magnificent things about you, and rumors do not disappoint, and as the Great Doctor Eggman’s golden child you are surely best fit for the job. Starline, over and out. _

There was so much to comment on this that Metal Sonic didn’t even bother formulating a reply. First of all, this random villain-worshipping platypus was not the heir to the Eggman Empire, and therefore not the boss of Metal. And surely this Dr Starline had already seen that he was _ blue _ , not golden, but Metal would not be surprised if this was an example of an organic’s many flaws they can simply be created with--like color blindness--but Dr Starline’s need to point out the color gold explained his dimwittedness of assuming the throne of the empire in the Doctor’s absence. If anyone were to assume the throne, it would be Metal Sonic himself...again.

_ Playback Memory: Neo Metal Sonic (Failure)... _

_ Canceling playback… _

No, data suggests that Metal needs Eggman in order to succeed in his objectives. The Mobian can assume the roll for now, but Metal Sonic looks forward to the punishment his true Master will think up upon returning. Surely, the real genius will see through this lesser guise and terminate him before any kind of new alliance (which was always destined to fail, Metal reminded himself) could be formed. Metal will definitely volunteer to exterminate.

“I found it!!! Here it is, the sneaky rascal!”

Metal looked over to the bedroom as his lesser Master beelined towards him, holding a small…device, possibly, in his hand.

“I knew I had a spare laying around, and everyone always says ‘dress to impress’! Metal, do you mind tilting your head up really quick?” Mr Tinker kneeled in front of Metal, beaming with excitement.

Metal beeped as he did as he was told, as usual. Tinker began performing some strange motions with his hands around Metal’s neck, fastening something to him. After a few moments he leaned back to look at his work, his smile somehow getting wider.

“Perfect!! The neighbors couldn’t possibly say no to this!!!” He quickly scrambled away to pick up a mirror that had laid on the dining table, returning to show Metal his reflection. “What do you think? Is it comfortable? Not too tight?”

Metal looked at his reflection to access what the man was rambling about. He had expected a laser device to smite any who opposed him, or perhaps a hypnotic charm that would sway the village into submission. Instead, it was something else he recognized.

A simple red bow-tie, the same color as his eyes and the casing on his feet. It appeared to be made of recycled fabric. He emitted a confused warble.

“You don’t have to wear it, of course, if you don’t like it—I’m just…. I guess I am nervous, the village didn’t accept me right away due to…. past prejudices, I-I just don’t want that to affect how they accept you…”

Metal looked back up at the fretting Mr Tinker and took note of the matching bow-tie on his own neck. The human likely subconsciously was attempting to establish Metal as something similar to himself in the eyes of these simpletons.

Metal paused and looked back at the mirror—truthfully it wasn’t something Metal would’ve picked out for himself. It was too…. safe for a superior war machine as himself.

However, this new form of his human obviously had some kind of experience in “meet and greet” behavior, and Metal was forced to begrudgingly remain at a lesser update version for a reason—if he failed to blend in and Sonic The Hedgehog challenged him as he was…

Metal Sonic hated that hedgehog so much…

At least the bow tie wasn’t repulsive.

Metal realized Tinker was still patiently awaiting a response and gave a simple thumbs-up, for some reason this prompted the human to giddily clap.

“I knew it would look so handsome on you! Alright, I-I guess I can’t stall forever, now don’t be nervous—the villagers are nice and agreeable, and I’ll of course put in a good word for you!”

Metal’s range of emotions have always been incredibly limited, as is common for a superior robot such as himself. Nervousness didn’t exist in his code, he only had room for vengeance, hatred, bloodlust, loyalty (sometimes), and other essential emotions. Metal expressed these facts by turning to the door and approaching, his default power walk speaking for itself.

“A-Ah, yes, well ok! Let’s get on with it then!”

* * *

Metal has always been the lucky lackey to stand by Eggman’s side for meetings and discussions of the villainous kind, so the natural pull the genius always emits wasn’t what surprised Metal. What surprised Metal about the villagers was how….

_ Searching databases: Dictionary _

...casual the villagers were about being graced by their future emperor. The fanfare of his return must have died down—that or they were rightfully fearful of the sharp robotic hedgehog next to him—because no one approached closely, but nearly everyone he passed got a greeting or wave.

_ Log: Mobian’s natural pack bond seems to override survival against greater genius, this could be useful. _

“Mr. Tinker! You….have a new friend.” A respectful voice called our, followed by the approach of what appeared to be a key figure in the village. “The kind Miles let me know of...the situation.”

Mr. Tinker looked confused for a moment, mumbling a comment on “that must be yet another friend of Sonic’s” before approaching open-armed towards the Mobian, “Elder, I want you to meet my--uh, well I’m taking in a fine work of engineering, his name is Metal!” Tinker moved his arms toward Metal in a wide display, beaming. Metal stood there broadcasting another one of his essential emotions: emotionless. “H-He’s a little shy I think, or reserved, but he’s a great listener!”

In all truth, at that moment Metal was making a Venn Diagram of the ways Dr. Eggman and Mr. Tinker were different, and the many ways they were the same. With the app running in the background, he only had to pay attention to 60% of the conversation.

“A-Ah, well… a friend of our friend is a friend of ours! It’s… it’s nice to welcome you to our humble community, Metal.” The Elder gave a nervous but not unkind smile to Metal. “Here, we are family, a-and I certainly hope you grow to feel like family.”

Metal saved and closed  _ PrimaryMission.png _ and instead pondered the Elder’s words.

_ Hypothesis: Eldest Mobian is as incompetent as Dr. Starline. _

_ Data Point: Robots are not blood and therefore are incapable of family. _

The Elder was still looking at him expectantly, and Mr. Tinker had begun to look nervous again. Metal gave a single nod as contribution to the conversation. Mr. Tinker smiled wide again as the Elder gave a nervous but friendly nod back.

“I see what you mean, n-not much of a conversationalist?”

“He’s a bot of few words…. Very few words.” Mr. Tinker explained, absentmindedly setting a hand on Metal’s head, right between the ears. “B-But he’s very expressive! I think he’ll fit in swimmingly regardless!”

The two biological creatures looked back at Metal, who remained still as he was examined. He didn’t even meet their eyes, staring ahead.

Why would he meet the eyes of his future slaves, anyway? 

“...Yes, well, it’s certainly been a while since our gentle residence has seen such a surge in newcomers--with you turning up and now bringing along our first, uh, robot villager--It’s certainly… exciting to see how we will all grow alongside each other.”

“Oh! I am so relieved you think so! I really respect your leadership, and I am truly in your debt for the kindness you and your people have given me!” Mr. Tinker gushed. “I have so many ideas to pay you back--both in my personal project and in improving the village as a whole!!”

The Elder sighed, looking more at ease, “Mr. Tinker, sir, please. You are ‘my people’ now, and I look forward to any of your projects. You’re a good man, and a kind heart to open it to us and bring new residents with you.” He turned to Metal, “I must get back to the kids--I promised to read them a new story today--but I will be looking out for you as well, Metal. Welcome to the village.”

Mr Tinker waved goodbye as the Elder turned and walked away. He waited a moment before turning to Metal excitedly, prompting Metal to look at him with curiosity.

“That went swimmingly!” The human rejoiced. “Well done, Metal, you’re going to enjoy it here I promise!”

Metal figured he would enjoy it here, eventually when they ignite it and leave it to burn upon their departure. Tinker clapped and made a gleeful noise, unable to contain his excitement. Another point to add to the middle of the Venn Diagram.

“Sonic and Tails are going to be so surprised!! With all the progress we’ve already made, maybe they’ll consider letting me repair your upgrades?? O-Or is that too optimistic of me?” He hummed. “Still, i-it might be a nice thing to shoot for right? Show them you’re capable of handling the… responsibility of a simple life?”

Metal Sonic wondered for a moment if that constituted as a command or merely a suggestion and decided not to worry about it too much--he found the plan to play along with Sonic the Hedgehog’s naive ideas as a ploy to get what he wanted, acceptable. If his Master wanted to surprise “Sonic and Tails” so badly, then Metal Sonic wanted that too, just in a more violent direction. Especially knowing how his Master--his real and original Master--would rejoice in such a reveal.

“A-Anyway, enough of that. Why don’t I show you Eggmanland?”

Metal emitted a warble in surprise.

“Oh? You didn’t see it when you walked by last night?” Tinker asked before he placed a hand on Metal’s back and led them ahead. “Then again, I suppose you were quite damaged and overheating at that moment. No matter! I can show you the grand tour of my pride and joy!”

Metal Sonic put “Eggmanland(?)” in the middle of  _ PrimaryMission.png _ ’s Venn Diagram, finding himself surprised that the so-called “kind” version of the doctor was still planning his own utopia. But why would a self-proclaimed genius stop there? Why-

“Over there! See it?”

_ Scanning…. _

_ Scanning… _

“It’s not much, but it’s only in its first form! Version 1.0!” Tinker humbly gushed. “I was thinking about upgrading the roller coaster for a little more thrill and adding some more games to encourage socialization!”

_ PrimaryMission.png _ updated to include Eggmanland (Original) in Dr. Eggman’s side and Eggmanland (Abomination) in Mr. Tinker’s side.

Metal Sonic scrutinized the Eggmanland (Abomination). His gear-jerk reaction was to hate it, as that was his reaction to most, if not all, things he encountered. The human continued to ramble about improvements to be made here and there while Metal continued scanning.

At first glance, it was a small park for kids. It was cheerful, and playful, and a surprising sight to see in such a small, traditional village. But Metal Sonic knew the accident rates of roller coasters and theme parks--having researched that for Dr. Eggman’s circus-themed ploys. Underneath all of that cheer and color were metal deathtraps just waiting for either disrepair or intentional tampering.

How symbolic.

Metal pondered the human psyche, theorizing that if his Master had subconsciously integrated the same name he had fought his whole life for, then who is to say he didn’t subconsciously make it dangerous? After all, Eggman made killer robots every day. How would Mr. Tinker be any different? Metal updated his Venn Diagram.

“--anyway I think the best course of action is to upgrade before expanding a-and I would really appreciate your opinion o-on some ideas….” Tinker trailed off. “Erm, Metal?”

Metal, having not realized he once again settled into his default state of staring directly ahead, settled his unblinking gaze on the ex-doctor.

“Would you like to work with me on Eggmanland?”

Technically, Metal already currently works on Eggmanland (Utopia), but working on Eggmanland (Abomination) might jog the memories of the first Eggmanland. Metal found his primary directive oddly easy to run, as it seemed to lead itself to fruition.

Still it would be incorrect to affirm that he “wanted” to work on Eggmanland 2. Thankfully lying came very easy to Metal Sonic, even to his creator. Metal gave a thumbs up like the one for the bow tie still fastened to his neck. Tinker immediately brightened, so easily trusting.

“Oh, thank you Metal! I-I really think an extra hand will push this project along!”

Metal found himself agreeing--yes, the extra influence of Eggmanland will be beneficial to the mission.

* * *

Taking a break after a seemingly lifetime-long “job” of running and beating up bad guys was, contrary to popular belief, exactly what Sonic had been wishing for all of this time. With Eggman being lost to the head trauma of Tinker, peace was finally visible on the horizon. And by chaos, Sonic felt that he and his friends had earned that long-awaited promise of peace. And he was definitely going to enjoy it while it lasted.

Now if only his long-conditioned brain had gotten that memo.

Sonic didn’t expect to visit the Restoration so soon after the Resistance’s disbanding, but he took a relaxing sunset nap by the beach twice already this week and it was only Tuesday. How was it  _ only _ Tuesday? Besides, Tails had his nose in another new project the whole time while Sonic relaxed and when Tails gets “in the zone” he tends to forget a few basic needs so now was a good time to drag his genius brother out of the shop and check on their friends. It was his duty as the protector to establish that his friends all take the breaks he had been revelling in.

“The Resistance  _ just _ disbanded not that long ago, Sonic. I don’t think they have as much news as you’re thinking.” Tails reminded Sonic as they raced to their destination, leaping or flying over obstacles.

“Nah, knowing Amy she’s probably already crowdfunded and started the new direction they’re going for this. I mean it’s  _ already _ Tuesday!” Sonic rolled his eyes and ignored Tails’ deadpan look. “Time just flies doesn’t it?”

“I’d know all about that.” Tails joked matter-of-factly. 

Sonic snickered and pushed the race ahead, eager to see the progress his friends have achieved. Contrary to what Tails expected, Sonic was content with a normal amount of progress for once. For the first time in…. A very long time, they could all push their lives ahead at a normal pace without the threat of world domination above their heads at all times.

_ I mean, it’s probably an inevitable threat.  _ Sonic thought,  _ If it’s not Eggman then it’s an alien apocalypse. If it’s not aliens, then it’s something equally left-field. _

He wasn’t trying to be pessimistic, but his numerous life experiences tended to peek their heads out every once in a while.

“Ha, I win!” Sonic cheered as they skidded out of the sun and into the new Restoration building.

“Of course you won,” Tails smiled as he landed, mindful of the workers around him, and gave his namesake a rest, “you’re the fastest thing alive.”

“The one and only!” Sonic bowed over-dramatically to get a laugh out of his brother and the mobians watching.

“Sonic! Tails! What a surprise!” A new voice called out.

The brothers turned to the new voice and waved as Amy Rose approached. They appeared to have caught her at a free minute.

“Miss Rose, did you think about if we should go forward with--”

“Yeah of course! It’s a great opportunity and we could open a food bank at the same time!”

Well…. A free moment.

“Sorry guys, I’m afraid it’s been pretty swamped here with the high toll of civilians affected by Eggman. Even with him gone it’s like he’s still here, messing up lives.” Amy lamented, looking down at a clipboard and signing before passing it off to be replaced by another clipboard.

“Please, Amy. Knowing you, you’ll get a plan in action that’ll revert the hurt caused in no time!” Sonic boasted, crossing his arms confidently and nodded to the Restoration volunteers that walked around him.

“Well….” Amy blushed and lifted her clipboard to her cheeks to hide her silly smile, “I-I wouldn’t say revert. It’s gonna take a lot of time and work to get things even remotely turned around for some people…” Her smile had already dropped when she lowered her clipboard, “Y-You’re sure that Eggman is…. Gone?”

Sonic and Tails exchanged a look at the question. Tails looked nervous but Sonic just looked contemplative. As much trust as he currently has in Mr. Tinker, it would be truly irresponsible to say Eggman’s return was impossible.

“I’m sorry, I think I’ve been working too much.” Amy smiled and apologized. “I know you two wouldn’t risk Eggman’s return right now if you had any concerns like that… I’m just…. I work with a lot of people who experienced a lot of destruction…”

“So did you, Amy.” Tails reminded her gently. “There’s no one better suited for this job, but you shouldn’t let the stress get to you too much. Take some breaks sometime, everyone here understands all that you do for them.”

“Yeah, when workaholic Tails tells you to take a break, maybe it really is the time to take a break.” Sonic joked, prompting a chuckle out of both of his friends.

Amy sighed wistfully. “Yeah, you’re right. Maybe I’m just so used to the high-speed rush of the Resistance, I could probably use a hand.” Amy paused for a moment. “Hey Sonic--”

“Amy c’mon. I told you.”

Amy snickered and winked good-naturedly. “It was worth a shot. Technically you only told me you wouldn’t run the Resistance. This is the Restoration now!”

“Well still put me on the ‘In Case of World Domination’ call list, thank you.”

“Well, the door is always open for you.” Amy offered one last time before humming in thought. “Really though, how is… the new doctor? Have you checked up on him since Neo Metal Sonic?”

Amy noticed that Tails had again gotten suddenly nervous, but paid it no mind. Everyone, including Sonic, had expressed some kind of discomfort with just letting the new Eggman off the hook. But Sonic had made a compelling argument--how could they arrest a man whose memory had been reset? Especially after he pointed out that even Shadow had backed down, eventually.

If Shadow drew a line on the topic of amnesiac politics, no one wanted to cross it.

Sonic stretched his arms over his head as he recalled the new doctor, “Yeah, it’s Mr. Tinker now. He really isn’t comfortable with the old name.”

“So you think we’re… free?”

Sonic and Tails exchanged another look before looking back at Amy. “It’s… still pretty early to tell but… I think he likes his new life.” Tails explained. “We haven’t seen any real evidence of him going back to his old ways. They’re polar opposites.”

Amy sighed in relief and flipped a page on her newest clipboard. “That’s good to hear. Say…. would… Mr. Tinker be interested in helping out the Restoration? Maybe making things to help people would encourage good behavior?”

Before Tails could politely decline in Tinker’s stead, Sonic thought aloud as he continued his arm stretches. “Way ahead of you, Ames. He’s on a new project right now since he outright rejected the Eggman Empire to their faces. But it’s probably best to not invite Tinker into spaces like this yet, y’know?”

Amy paused her reading and looked back at the adventurers. “Wait, what?”

“I mean he’s not Egghead anymore but it’s a little soon to be bringing him into--”

“No, no, I get that. I was thinking he could work remotely--help design some…. Nevermind, when did he get in contact with the Empire? Isn’t that something we should be worried about?”

“You’d think, right?” Tails nervously spoke up. “Someone found out where he was and kidnapped him. I don’t know if they knew he didn’t know himself, but he kind of knows now and doesn’t like what he knows, y’know?”

“.....Huh??” Amy was attempting to follow, but she could feel the missing information in the claim.

“Tinker doesn’t like Eggman. He just wants to make playgrounds for kids or something.” Sonic clarified. “I believe him, I could see real sympathy on a man whose face wasn’t capable of it a few months ago.”

“That’s true. Even when he was surrounded by his own property, he really seemed like he just wanted to go home--er, back to the village.” Tails agreed, smiling nervously with how confusing it still was to talk about the ex-villain.

Amy tucked the clipboard into her side and turned fully to her friends. “I believe you, I’m just a little lost. Maybe someone should be keeping tabs on him? How do you know he won’t get kidnapped again?”

“Sonic’s keeping tabs on him now. It puts me on edge a little bit still, but we’re keeping an eye on him. ” Tails quickly answered. “We promised to visit every once in a while too!”

“Yeah, Tink’s gonna inflate Metal’s ego too much if I don’t go down and stick a pin in his head.”

Tails froze immediately as Amy felt a cold sink into her bones. “...You…. Do you mean Metal Sonic? **”**

The silence and guilty look answered her question.

“The villain we  _ just _ took down? The badnik  _ you _ said you were going to handle?”

Sonic appeared to falter in his stretches. “Erm…. yes? He kind of….followed Tinker home.”

The pink hedgehog let a moment of silence pass through, but not overstay its welcome. “And… you just let him stay??”

“It’s not as bad as it sounds!”

“Then someone explain it to me because it  _ sounds _ like you left Metal Sonic with an amnesiac recovering ex-villain a couple of weeks after Metal Sonic tried to take over the world solo  _ for the second time _ .” Amy could feel her stress levels rising, but kept her voice as close to a normal volume as she could to not cause a panic inside a building of recovering victims.

Sonic, also feeling his stress levels rising, gave Tails a look for aid, as if stress wasn’t his best friend. “I mean… you’re accurate but it’s more complicated than that!”

Amy took a calming breath and sighed before gesturing to a more vacant corner out of the eye of her fellow volunteers. “Just… explain it to me.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for your kind words! I really like writing for Metal Sonic, and have a few ideas for his growth. This is, admittedly, kind of just a filler chapter, but I felt weird about time skipping so early.
> 
> Also I wanted Metal to wear a bow tie while Tinker bragged to the Elder about his new son that he just met. This was important to me.

**Author's Note:**

> Quarantine really has me getting back into creative writing huh. Haven't been in the scene for... a while.
> 
> Also I'm gonna level with you all and say this may not have a concrete end--I just wanna explore these characters and practice writing robots.
> 
> I have more ideas so might level up to a multichapter fic if people are interested. 
> 
> Also let me know if formatting is weird it has been LIFETIMES since I've been back here.


End file.
